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Houston Dynamo FC

Dynamo, Dash and D2 Tackle Three-Game Slate on Saturday

May 13, 2022 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Houston Dynamo FC News Release


HOUSTON - All three professional teams will take the field on Saturday as Houston Dynamo Football Club tackles a three-game slate that ends with a celebration of PNC Stadium's 10th anniversary.

DYNAMO RETURN TO LEAGUE PLAY

The Dynamo host Nashville SC on Saturday after both teams advanced to the Round of 16 in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Houston is currently navigating a three-game homestand that began with a 1-0 victory over San Antonio FC on Wednesday in the U.S. Open Cup. The team is currently navigating a stretch of four games across a two-week span and the team will now play seven games in May.

Sebas Ferreira scored for the Dynamo on Wednesday evening and that was his fifth goal of the year. The forward has scored three goals in his last four outings for the team. Wednesday's lineup featured Griffin Dorsey, Fafa Picault and Ferreira, who have each played 700 of the 900 minutes available this season. Defender Sam Junqua tallied the game-winning assist, and the 25-year-old has played a key role for the Dynamo in this tournament. Junqua scored the game-winning goal against RGV FC on April 19 in the Third Round of the tournament. 

Houston and Nashville meet for the third time and this is the first meeting since 2020. Houston looks for their first victory in the series and their sixth victory of the year. The Dynamo are now 4-1-3 (WLD) at home this year and look to capitalize on this stretch of matches at PNC Stadium prior to playing three of their next four games away from home.

Houston returns to league play against a Nashville team that played 120 minutes on Wednesday to qualify for the next round of the U.S. Open Cup. Nashville conceded two goals in the first half and needed extra time to come from behind against Atlanta on Wednesday evening.

DASH THREE-GAME ROAD TRIP CONTINUES IN KENTUCKY

The Dash will once again meet up with one of its 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup Central Division opponents. Houston earned its first victory of the calendar year against Racing on March 25 after a 3-2 come-from-behind win where the Dash scored three unanswered goals in the second half. The Dash closed out the 2022 Challenge Cup with a 2-1 win over Racing on April 24 at PNC Stadium in Downtown Houston. 

Houston is coming off a 2-0 win over Kansas City on May 8. The Dash took the lead late in the first half after forward Michaela Abam was fouled in the box and Houston was awarded a penalty. Dash forward Rachel Daly converted from The Spot to give Houston the lead into the half. Daly is the only NWSL player to have taken a minimum of three penalty kicks across all competitions, both in regulation or shootout, to have a 100 percent conversion rate. Midfielder Bri Visalli, who game into the game as a substitute for Nichelle Prince in the 74th minute, scored in the sixth minute of stoppage time.  

Racing Louisville FC returns home after starting the first two weeks of the regular season on the road. The second-year club from Kentucky is coming off a 2-2 draw with OL Reign in the club's first trip to the west coast in 2022. A late own goal by OL Reign helped equalize the score in the 60th minute. Forward and NWSL veteran Jessica McDonald scored early in the first half to give Louisville the lead.  

DYNAMO 2 OPEN THREE-GAME ROAD TRIP IN MINNESOTA

Dynamo 2 is back on the road after a weekend at home, travelling to the land of 10,000 lakes to take on MNUFC2 on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. at Allianz Field in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

After experiencing defeat for the first time all season, Dynamo 2 bounced back in last weekend's match against Colorado Rapids 2 at AVEVA Stadium, winning 2-0 over their western conference rivals. With the victory, Dynamo 2 solidified its spot at the top of the MLS NEXT Pro table, having earned a total of 18 points out of 21 possible points on the season. The next closest teams in the standings are Whitecaps FC 2, North Texas SC and Columbus Crew 2, all of which have 15 points.

Dynamo 2 defender and captain Talen Maples broke through in the 27th minute with a goal that came as a Houston corner kick was headed away by a Colorado defender and to the chest of Maples. The centerback got the ball under control at his feet and smashed a shot past the keeper to give the Dynamo a 1-0 lead. This is the defender's second goal of the season and the final goal of the game was scored by Diego Gonzalez in second half stoppage time when he capitalized on a loose ball just outside the box. The Dynamo Academy product dribbled into the penalty area and beat the Colorado goalkeeper at the near post for his second goal of the season.

WHO:

Houston Dynamo 2 at Minnesota United FC 2

Houston Dash at Racing Louisville FC

Houston Dynamo FC vs. Nashville SC

WHEN:

Saturday, May 14 - 5:00 p.m. CT

Saturday, May 14 - 7:00 p.m. CT

Saturday, May 14 - 7:30 p.m. CT

WHERE:

Allianz Field

Lynn Family Stadium

PNC Stadium

TV/STREAMING:

MLSNEXTPro.com

Twitch.com

TV: AT&T SportsNet

RADIO: TUDN 93.3 FM

Here are three key points ahead of Saturday's batch of games:

DYNAMO NAVIGATE CONGESTED STRETCH: The Dynamo close a three-game stretch across eight days on Saturday and will close the month with seven matches. This is the most congested stretch for the team this season who will close the month with three consecutive road games. Houston will spend the bulk of the summer months on the road after hosting 10 of their 17 home games by May 18. Houston will go more than a month till it's next home game when they host the Chicago Fire on June 25.

DASH SHOW DEFENSIVE GROWTH: Houston's win over Kansas City on Sunday featured several key defensive performances. Goalkeeper Jane Campbell made five saves in the 2-0 victory and is tied for most save in the league across all competitions. Campbell's performance against KC marks the most saves in a regular season match sing Sept. 1, 2021, where Campbell had six saves in the 1-0 loss to OL Reign. Defender Katie Naughton led the team in clearances with five and midfielder Sophie Schmidt added four more clearances in the shutout. The Houston defense earned its first shutout across all competitions since Sept. 26, 2021 when the Dash shut out Louisville at Lynn Family Stadium en route to a 4-0 win.

STELLAR DEFENSIVE METRICS FOR DYNAMO 2: Dynamo 2 has climbed to the top of the MLS NEXT Pro league table behind a stellar attack and a stalwart defense that has led to the best goal differential in the league. The defense was the story of the game last weekend as the backline combined to come out of the game with both season highs in both tackles, with 25, and percentage of duels won, which finished at 56.8 percent. In addition, goalkeeper and recent U.S. Youth National Team call-up Xavier Valdez kept his fourth clean sheet of the season. Valdez leads the league in this category.

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